Before we get into this one, we know what a lot of you are already thinking: “Why did they call it the Exorcist? How is it competition for the Demon when one comes from the factory and the other is modified by an aftermarket company?” Well, that’s a good question and one we don’t really have the answer to, other than the fact that these two super powerful cars could likely meet on the street and at the track. That, and it’s just a super clever name with built-in marketing. But we didn’t name it, so let’s move past it.
Regardless of whether or not you like its name, or its purpose, it’s hard not to be impressed by any sixth-gen Camaro belting out 1,000+ horsepower. While that number seems commonplace these days, it’s still quite the feat in and of itself. But until now, that number didn’t translate to much, other than being “more powerful” than the Dodge Demon. And while that’s great and all, it’s hard to take the name “Exorcist” seriously until it has done what it was designed to do, vanquish Demons.
Hennessey is well aware of this and is currently working on getting quarter-mile numbers for the Exorcist, but in the meantime, they decided to stop by Continental Tires’ Uvalde Proving Grounds, an 8.5-mile long stretch of tarmac, to see what the Exorcist could do at full tilt. With plenty of power on tap, it was anyone’s guess what this insanely powerful pony car would top out at. The car eventually went 217 mph, making it the fastest sixth-gen Camaro of all time and faster than the C7 ZR1 in the processes.
“We wanted to see if The Exorcist could exceed the top speed of the new ZR1 Corvette, which is 213 mph. Mission accomplished,” said president and company founder, John Hennessey. “This is just the first high-performance validation test for The Exorcist. We also plan to test our car’s 0-60 mph and quarter-mile performance at the dragstrip as well as handling and braking on a road course. Stay tuned.”
To get it there, Hennessey not only ditched the stock R1740 blower in favor of a 2.9-liter Whipple, they also upgraded the bumpstick, ported the cylinder heads, slapped on a set of long-tube headers, and gave it a custom dyno tune. And while many will say “it’s built with aftermarket parts, so what?”, the car comes with a 3-year/ 36,000-mile warranty. It even includes its own track toolkit, just like the Demon. And though it may be somewhat of an apples-to-oranges comparison, it still did what it was designed to do. We haven’t seen the Demon’s top speed, but we’d be willing to bet that it’s nowhere near 213 mph.
Say what you will, but The Exorcist is a badass ride designed to do more than just go in a straight line. Whether or not it’s a direct competitor is up to you, but we know which one we’d rather drive. How about you?